Manchester City have received a boost after medical tests revealed that Jack Grealish's injury is not as serious as initially feared.
Grealish limped off during the 3-1 victory over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday after suffering a groin injury.
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He missed the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday but, despite initial concerns that he could be out for a month, there is confidence he can return ahead of the derby against Manchester United on March 3.
“It's not as bad, not as bad as we expected,” Guardiola said.
“It will be maybe 10 days. It was three weeks or a month, but it's less, so it's good news.”
Grealish's start against Copenhagen was only his second in 2024 after falling down the pecking order this season.
Guardiola later revealed that the 28-year-old was devastated to be forced off so early against the Danish champions after more than a month on the bench.
“It's a shame, he's destroyed,” Guardiola said after the game against Copenhagen.
“In the last few days his mood in training was much better.
“He played very well, he helped us with the rhythm. I wanted to continue but we didn't want to do even more damage.”
The positive news regarding Grealish's injury means the England midfielder should be ready for a crucial month of matches in March.
City faces the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Copenhagen, as well as key English Premier League games against United, Liverpool, Brighton and Arsenal.
Guardiola's team is third in the table after the draw with Chelsea, four points behind leaders Liverpool and two points behind second-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand.
